The exhibition, entitled ‘Mari Katayama’, is the first solo exhibition in Lithuania and one of the largest solo exhibitions outside Japan by the internationally acclaimed artist. The exhibition will feature Mari Katayama’s photography series produced between 2015-2021.

Mari Katayama’s artistic practice is shaped by her physical appearance and bodily experiences. Suffering from congenital tibial hemimelia, Katayama had both legs amputated at the age of 9. Since then, using her own body as a living sculpture, she has created numerous self-portraits, often wearing uniquely decorated prosthetic legs and hand-sewn embroidered objects. In her meticulously stages self-portraits (which she always shoots herself, using a remote control or self-timer) the artist explores issues of identity, beauty, femininity and vulnerability, while questioning the perception of disability and the representation of the female body.

Mari Katayama (b. 1987, Gunma) is a Japanese artist working with photography, sculpture, performance and textile art. In 2012 she graduated with a Master’s degree from Tokyo University of the Arts. Her works were exhibited in Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Paris, France), 58th Venice Biennale (Giardini and Arsenale, Venice, Italy), ‘White Rainbow’ (London, UK), Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (Tokyo, Japan), etc. Many public collections hold her work, including La Maison Rouge (Paris, France), Collection Antoine de Galbert (Paris, France), Mori Art Museum (Tokyo, Japan), Arts Maebashi (Gunma, Japan) and Tokyo Photographic Art Museum (Tokyo, Japan).

The exhibition is a part of ‘Kaunas 2022’ programme.

The exhibition is supported by ‘Kaunas 2022’, Lithuanian Council for Culture and EU Japan.